


Patchwork

by SilenceWanderer



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2018-09-19 07:51:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9428210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceWanderer/pseuds/SilenceWanderer
Summary: Little Midomika Collection.





	1. Build-A-Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midori and Mika take a trip to Build-A-Bear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaa sorry if it's awkward... I love this ship and it deserves more attention... All the canon parallels... If you see any errors feel free to tell me so I can fix them.

Stepping into Build-A-Bear and looking around, Midori’s eyes immediately softened, charmed by the multitude of plushies lying around the shop. Sparing a glance beside him, quick and nervous, he was met with only Mika’s speechless adoration, the other bouncing on his feet before he stepped forward, mouth slightly agape, letting go of Midori’s sleeve as he cautiously ventured into the shop, Midori left to stand awkwardly and hope no one was staring. _If I wasn’t so tall…_ he thought miserably, feeling even more out of place than usual among the children that surrounded him. Every step feeling like he would accidentally crush someone, he awkwardly trudged forward, trying to avoid eye contact as his face burned with every curious child and judging adult, body tense with anxiety that was only slightly eased when he again felt Mika’s presence by his side. Shaking his head, Midori tried to clear his still jittery thoughts. He was here with Mika today, he couldn’t ruin this, not like everything else… “So, did you find something you liked…?” he questioned, still feeling all of the whispers of the nearby children and internally wishing that Mika would stop clutching his hand, for as warm and soothing as Mika was, that gentle and unfaltering aura similar to the mascot characters he loved so much, people were staring already… 

“I did!” Mika chirped in response, eyes bright, and cautiously held up an unstuffed brown bear, friendly eyes and smile still awkwardly flat without their proper shape. “Aren’t ya gonna go look yerself, Midori…?” he questioned hesitantly, still hugging the bear to his chest and looking away, eyes slightly squinted in an attempt to hide their colors. “Ya look uncomfortable, yanno? Should we leave? I didn’t mean to drag ya here against yer wishes, yanno, we can-” Something inside the panicked wideness of Midori’s eyes stopped him, and he regretted having opened his mouth. _Of course ya end up botherin’ him after he put in so much effort to invite ya,_ he chastised himself, eyes flicking back to Midori before returning to the floor. Letting his gross, weird eyes meet Midori’s cute seafoam ones, that’d be just another horrid mistake to ruin the day even more. Starting to shuffle away from him, he was met with a shaking hand on his elbow, and a look over his shoulder revealed Midori shaking his head. 

“I really did want to come here… to show you all the plushies,” Midori explained, voice faint from embarrassment. _Did I really just say that…? I’m a highschooler at this point… Is everyone looking at me strangely…? Haah, I want to die… In front of Mika too, this is the worst…_ His hand dropped from where it had been holding onto Mika’s sweater, palm slippery with sweat. 

“...I see,” Mika replied in a small voice, embarrassed at how quickly he had assumed that he had been forcing him. “So… do ya wanna go back in ‘n look at more of the plushies…?” He cautiously offered, turning again to look at Midori, fixing his eyes on his shoulder to avoid his eyes. Hearing the other sigh, he felt Midori’s fingers touch his, and his lips curled upwards in a small smile as he grabbed the hand fully, squeezing it and trying to warm those cold fingers with his own smaller hands before bouncing off, dragging the slightly taller boy with him as he weakly uttered a protest.

They had met back a few minutes later, at the stuffing station, Mika practically brimming with excitement and Midori trying to avoid the patient and endeared look in the attendant’s eyes as she looked between the two of them before beginning to explain what to do. “There are also scented disks you can put in,” she was saying, pointing at an array held in small wooden shelves. 

Hesitating for a moment, Mika grabbed the strawberry one, and Midori couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, “I thought you would choose the candy?” Face turning red as Mika turned back to look at him curiously, he let out a small “sorry” and resumed staring at the floor, clutching his own choice- an unstuffed black cat- close to his chest. 

“I…” Mika’s voice started from behind, hesitantly starting and pausing for a breath. “It reminded me of ya, so… since yer family has that greenhouse…” 

Ah. 

This was really no good for his heart… As he covered his face with a hand, cheeks flushed, he wondered how he had ever ended up with someone like Mika. He was so negative all the time, always dampening the mood, bumping into people and things, making a fool of himself.. But Mika accepted him despite that. Mika, who was so perfect and bright, each smile filling the room with light… and yet thinking of himself as broken. He was almost bowled over at how _wrong_ that logic was; how could _anyone_ see Mika as broken, worthless, a freak, a failure? If he could do anything to make Mika feel better, he would. Even if it meant putting off his own death for just a bit longer. 

“...Midori. Midori?” Mika’s voice snapped Midori out of his reverie, and he blinked dazedly at him before tilting his head to the side. “I just wanted to ask what ya chose for yer own plush,” he explained, already holding his stuffed bear and pressing his nose lightly to the paw where the scented disk was stored. Even from where he stood, Midori could pick up the faint hint of strawberry emanating from the plush. 

“Oh, I, uh,” Midori attempted to speak coherently before sighing and just holding out the cat in front of him. Mika examined it, eyes bright, and Midori’s voice faltered for a moment before he added, “Since… it reminded me of you.” Mika’s eyes snapped up to meet his, wide and surprised, and Midori took the moment to finally admire the colors, now that Mika was looking at him. Like little jewels, he wished he could scoop them into his arms and admire their colors forever. (Ah, but that would hurt Mika, so it was a no, of course.) Eyes flicking away from his as Mika realized what he was doing, face flushed, Midori could just awkwardly smile. _I probably looked ridiculous, just staring into Mika’s eyes like that. Good going, Midori._ He heard Mika mumble something under his breath, hiding his face in the bear, and Midori curiously tilted his head once more. 

“Ah, that is…” Mika muttered, a little louder this time, voice still muffled by the bear. “I chose this one since it reminded me of ya too, y’see… since it’s all fluffy ‘n brown, yanno…?” 

Well, he could die now too. That would be okay. Mika’s blushing face and small smile as he hugged a plushie wasn’t at all the worst scene to die seeing. In fact, if he died now, it would probably be of overheating. Who-

“Er, are ya okay, Midori?” The hesitant hand on his arm pushed Midori once again out of thought. He probably needed to stop doing this. He always overthought things. He was the weakest link in Ryuseitai, after all. Ryuusei Green, the one who froze up during performances and fumbled his tricks. But that wasn’t important right now. It was okay if he forgot for just a little. Was it okay? Did he even deserve something like that? 

Ah, the stuffing attendant was staring at him. It occurred to him that he was… probably holding up the line, and now Mika looked worried. Laughing awkwardly and shrugging off the hand, he handed the plush to the attendant. “Do you also want a scent disk in yours?” came the question, and Midori hesitated. 

“I’ll... get the candy one, then,” he replied uncertainly, looking away as the attendant, looking tired of the two’s antics at this point, silently began filling the plush. 

He felt Mika pull at his sleeve a little, and warm breath brush his ear. “I thought you liked fruit ones more?” he asked curiously, voice hushed. Not mentioning how the real question he refused to ask was why he had chosen a sweet sort of scent, one that Mika would usually have-

“I do, but they don’t really have any others I like…” Midori murmured in response before looking away, feeling touched that Mika remembered that sort of detail about him. And, well… if he got the candy one, it may be able to replicate that scent Mika always had, the aura of sweetness drifting from his pockets and, inherently, himself. “We should go and actually buy these now, right…?” With Mika’s nod as a confirmation, the two headed to the counter. 

When Mika saw the amount, he grew a bit nervous. “Nnah, should’ve worked a little longer at that part time job…” he muttered to himself, clutching the plush closer. “I need to have enough to help Oshi-san buy fabric, too…!” He started a bit when he felt a hesitant hand on his shoulder, looking back and seeing Midori gazing at him again, eyes frequently flicking away from his and back as he swallowed nervously. 

“T-That is…” Midori started, voice coming out too high-pitched and nearly sending him into another wave of self-loathing before he corrected himself, frantic to stay in the conversation. “That is… I’ll buy it for you. W-We’re on...” His mouth grew dry, but he forced himself to continue, fearing the worst. “A date, after all…?” Ah, now he really couldn’t meet Mika’s eyes. Did the other even think of it as a date? What if it wasn’t meant to be one? Did he just force it on him? Ahh, stupid stupid stupid, ruining everything-

But Mika’s gaze wasn’t full of disgust at all, just genuine shock and all the adoration he felt for the other, and a tinge of guilt as well for what he had just heard. “I’ll… pay ya back, I swear,” he promised weakly, fingers sweeping through the plushie’s fur again to glean some comfort from its softness. “And I’m…” He whispered the last part to himself, softly, almost ashamed to vocalize it after Midori had said something like _that-_ “Thanks for dealin’ with a failure like me... and for stayin’ with me despite that.”

The two left the shop, Midori still embarrassed and awkward as he muttered to himself about how utterly tall he was, how much he stood out, how annoying- Mika slightly muted, still thinking to himself about what had occurred. But as Mika hugged the plushie closely with an arm, burying his face in its fur, Midori could only glance at him from the side of his vision, a smile smile drifting across his face. “I really am blessed,” was all he could vocalize before he took hold of the other’s hand, and with a grin of his own Mika squeezed it back. 

Even if they were both awkward, clumsy, a bit easily embarrassed, with low opinions of themselves…

Well, they still deserved love, didn’t they?


	2. Toy Shop AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midori heads to a toy shop to try and find a gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH toy shop au   
> i haven’t written for months and this sucks  
> majority of this was written back in november  
> this is really OOC hh  
> i just need this awful thing out of my wips

The silver bells tied to the doorframe with a slightly-frayed red ribbon jingled a friendly tune as Midori stepped into the store, swiping his feet on the colorful doormat a couple times to brush off any rain from the sidewalk outside before straightening up to glance around the shop. It wasn’t particularly big, but the ceiling had a window that allowed for the sun to shine through and light up the space, and he could hear the faint pattering of rain from above. It gave the space a bit of a mystical feel, shelves here and there of stuffed animals, figures, and even some books, a couple of pillows on the floor and chairs around a table in the back for people (mainly children, he presumed) to sit and read or play. Realizing he was blocking the entryway, he hastily shuffled to the right and reaffirmed his objective. It was his unitmate Shinobu’s birthday soon, within the week, and he had realized yesterday night (after their leader had called an impromptu meeting to discuss the celebration and successfully caused a leak in the mall’s fountain and a heavy smell of burnt fish and foliage to linger in the area for the next several hours; he cringed remembering it) that he lacked any sort of gifts to give him. “And who gives carrots as a birthday present, right...” he muttered to himself, raising his right hand to rub at his forehead and giving the world an exaggerated sigh. 

He didn’t notice the footsteps in front of him, nor the hesitant “Er...” that came from the person now standing right before him. Not until he blinked and looked forward, at least, immediately yelping and nearly knocking over a pile of teddy bears that the unknown person rushed to steady with a distressed creaking of sorts. As he stood holding onto the pile, face slightly flushed and breath unsteady from the panic, they stared at each other as if willing the other to speak first. After cautiously stepping back from the pile and sighing, the person gave Midori a sheepish grin and met his gaze for a moment before seeming to remember something and sharply looking away to the floor. 

Just the sound of breathing. 

Midori hated awkward silences. 

“Um... sorry for knocking over the bears.” _And getting surprised and making a complete fool of myself_ , he added mentally. This seemed to snap the other person out of it and they quickly looked back up to the direction of Midori’s face with a faint apology. 

“Nn, no worries ‘bout that. Rather, did ya need any help?” His voice seemed to change a bit, become more steady, as he entered the familiar script, and he straightened up, slowing his breathing. “Ya looked real lost standin’ there, though I’d offer ya a lil assistance if ya need it. New to this place?” 

“Yeah, a friend of mine’s birthday is soon, so-” _No, that’s not the relevant part of the explanation, get it together!_ “I mean... what do you recommend as a gift for someone?” A bit clumsy, but it worked, and Midori sighed, already wishing he could go home. He had just gotten here, and already had caused trouble. What a pain... 

“A gift, hm~” The other hummed with a nod, thoughtful grin on his face that showed the little fang that poked out beyond his lip. How cute. What was he, a mascot? (Something about him gave off the same cozy, friendly feeling, at least...) Their eyes met again, and Midori noted the mismatched colors again; definitely mascot material. “If ya think ‘bout it, this whole store’s gifts, right?” he concluded with a shrug, quick glance around the store to confirm his point. “But y’know, I’m real biased towards plushies-”

“I’m the same,” Midori blurted out, eyes lighting up before he slapped his hand in front of his mouth with a mortified expression. “Sorry, I’ll be... looking...” He backed up, glancing to the side. “Thanks for the help.”

“Yep, no problem.” If he felt any irritation about Midori’s interruption, he didn’t show it, just turning to head back to the desk with an awkward little step. “If ya need any more help, feel free to come over ‘n ask.” 

With an embarrassed, awkward laugh, Midori nodded, eyes trailing after the other as he walked. He could feel how flushed his face was, at this point, and proceeded to burrow into his scarf in a poor attempt at hiding it. He needed to focus.

\---

Despite that statement, Midori couldn’t stop glancing at the shopkeeper as he milled around the shop, searching for a gift. He wasn’t sure why he had come to this shop, really; Shinobu, unfortunately, had limited interest in mascots no matter how much Midori wished he’d see their charm. Whether this was just another attempt at that, he wasn’t sure. He merely allowed his eyes to vacantly flow over the shelves, hoping something or other would catch his eye.

(Aside from the cute shopkeeper in the distance, who had started humming to himself as he fussed with the cash register.) 

Oh man, he had it bad. 

He shook his head to empty it, giving himself a bit of a headache in the process, and groaned to himself as he circled the store yet again. _I hope I’m not being too much of a nuisance, blundering around like this_ , he thought sulkily, cursing his height for the tenth time (at least) since he had entered the store. A few children who had entered since he came, chattering enthusiastically to each other, gave him curious stares before running off to the sitting area. 

“Whoa, he’s tall!” Midori heard one whisper loudly to the other, and he curled his back forward a bit miserably. He knew he’d be scolded later about his posture, but this was too much. However, at that moment, something on a lower shelf caught his eye: a dark green frog plushie, sitting among some dogs and a fox and folding its feet adorably. 

“That’s it!” he whispered to himself, crouching down to gently take it. It was soft against his skin, pleasantly stuffed, and he’d want to hug it for hours if it wasn’t going to be for Shinobu, and also if he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of the children and the very pretty cashier. Satisfied by his find, he stood up, grimacing a little at the sudden change in elevation, and walked over to the counter. 

The shopkeeper looked up as he approached, grinning at him again with a friendliness Midori marvelled at given how long he’d been loitering in the shop. “Ah, yer ready? Glad ya found somethin’,” he said cheerfully, and Midori silently put the frog on the desk with a nod. The other reached for it, patting it, before looking up again. “Ah, do ya want to wrap it, since ya said it was a gift? Y’have any preferences?”

“Ah, that is,” Midori blurted choppily, shrinking slightly at the influx of questions. “Yeah, sure, if you have any... ninja-themed...?”

“Ninja, hm... Don’t really have any o’ that, but... how ‘bout this purple one?” The shopkeeper offered, stretching a bit of the purple paper on the flat surface between them. It was a pretty dark shade, somewhat like Souma’s hair, with black stripes. Midori nodded, unwilling to make any complaints. In the first place it was paper, so it would just rip or get ruined by water, or... 

He sighed. It wasn’t important. But as he saw the other take the plushie from the desk, something clicked in him, and he straightened before leaning a bit forward. 

“Um,” Midori blurted, and the other looked up with a curious sound and tilted his head. “That is,” Midori started quietly, breathing out for a moment. “What’s your name...?”

“Nn, mine?” He seemed surprised to be asked such a question, and Midori had to fight a smile from forming on his face. The longer he watched this person the more endearing he seemed to become, with all his little quirks and how he kept humming little tunes or chirping in reactions to questions. “‘s Mika Kagehira. Nice to meetcha.” The other’s sudden voice broke Midori’s train of thought, and he focused his eyes again. 

“Mika...” Midori echoed, hands curling into a fist as they lay on the edge of the desk. He didn’t feel like stopping the smile anymore. “It’s nice to meet you- ah, I’m Midori. Midori Takamine...” 

“Midori,” Mika mumbled to himself thoughtfully, grabbing some gift wrap to wrap the frog in. “‘s a nice name,” he thought aloud, mechanically folding the edges and sealing them with tape. “Like this plushie, isn’ it?” 

“I, uh, I guess,” Midori stammered in return, feeling self-conscious again. He stayed quiet as he watched Mika finish wrapping up the plushie, putting it in a plain brown bag with the store’s label on its side and throwing in a few rumpled sheets of colored tissue paper for festivity. Mika handed it to him, grin still present. 

“Come back soon!” came the traditional farewell, accompanied by a wave and the crinkling of Mika’s two-colored eyes.

“I’ll be back,” Midori promised, fingers curling tightly around the straps as he turned around and left, hearing the jingle of bells and remembering that warm smile. 

_I’ll be back._


End file.
